The Fit Five: How Do I Stick to My Resolution?

You're fired up to make a change this year, here's how to plan, train smart, and stay motivated.

Mensfitness.com
All too often guys make New Years resolutions, stick to them for a month, don't see results and quit. We talked to New York City-based trainer and strength coach Nick Ebner, N.A.S.M.-C.P.T., P.I.C.P., to tell us how to stay motivated and achieve results for life.
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Q1. What's the key to staying motivated after the January rush?
"Don't just show up at the gym and say, 'I want to get in shape.'  No plan usually equals no results. I suggest having a definitive performance goal(s).  Depending on where you're starting from, you may need to change nutrition, sleep, and other lifestyle habits in order to reach these goals, but you'll need a strategy."
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Q2. How long does it take to really see results from an exercise program?
"This depends on the individual. The three factors I find play the largest role in seeing results are the trainees age, past exercise/training history, and consistency.  If you're a young former athlete and are training 3-5 times per week results may show in 2-4 weeks.  Also, if you're younger and a new trainee results also often come quick.  But, if you're 45, never worked out, and ate poorly for the last 20 years, results will probably take much longer. Fortunately, with consistency, results will come more quickly."
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Q3. What's an easy way to show myself that I'm making progress?
"This depends on your goals.  If your goals are body composition, have someone do a BioSignature Assessment, which is a very accurate 12-point body fat and hormonal assessment every 4-6 weeks.  Also, girth measurements can be used, however water retention may throw these off from giving you a true picture of results. If your goals are performance-based, keep an exercise journal or program log to see if what you're doing is working."
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Q4. How can I cheat on my diet and still look better than I did last year?
"Set a realistic goal on how much you think you can be clean versus how much you want to cheat.  After 4-8 weeks, if you're not seeing the changes you want, you'll have to skew the ratio toward the cleaner side.  Make little changes until you see the results you're looking for and set deadlines to assess if what you're doing is working.  For most people, I find little changes stick better than massive changes."
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Q5. How can I make a shorter workout more effective?
"Frequency, food, and sleep!  You can train for shorter increments per workout if you show up more often.  You can train less and see body composition changes if you feed your body the fuel it needs. And, your body changes when you sleep, so if you're sleeping less than 7-9 hours, you probably won't make optimal gains. Use any or all of these tactics if you don't want to spend as much time in the gym."

Have a Healthy and Successful Day!
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Source : http://www.mensfitness.com/training/lose-weight/the-fit-five-how-do-i-stick-to-my-resolution